This invention relates to apparatus for sensing, indicating, and/or recording loading on a bearing and/or particularly to such apparatus incorporating strain gauges.
Turbo-generators due to the mass of their rotors and the space between supports are rotatably supported by a series of journal bearings initially aligned on an analytically determined curve. Misalignment or other load producing malfunctions may damage the bearing surfaces and result in forced outages and costly repairs. The potential effects of such malfunctions increase as the size of the turbo-generator increases and the propensity for such failures may be augmented by the proposed use of steel foundations, particularly if the turbo-generator is mounted on a barge located at an offshore ocean or lake site. Therefore, early and continuous indication of bearing loads will assist insuring long-term reliability of large turbo-generator units and other large rotating apparatus.